Ansar al-Sharia in Libya

Ansar al-Sharia in Libya is a Salafi Islamist militant group that has taken part in attacks against both Libyans and Americans, carrying out the 2012 Benghazi attack. With 5,000+ fighters, Ansar al-Sharia was formed in June 2012 during the Second Libyan Civil War and demanded the imposition of sharia law in Libya. The group destroyed Sufi shrines in Benghazi, and the group attacked foreigner and those opposed to secularism. Its leader Ahmed Abu Khattala was captured by the United States, and many of its members defected to the Islamic State; they had control over Ajdabiya on the shore.